Baker said on Tuesday the biggest favor the West could do for the Soviets would be to offer its advice to help Gorbachev achieve his goal of streamlining the Soviet economy.

Bob Djurdjevic, president of Annex Research Inc. in Phoenix, predicted IBM might announce plans to eliminate about 20,000 jobs, paying for the streamlining program with a charge of perhaps more than $1 billion against fourth-quarter earnings.

Another difficult problem is changing the psychology of workers, many of whom seem disinterested in increasing production or streamlining the operation.

Campbell Soup Co., as part of its continuing streamlining efforts, said it sold its Pietro's chain of pizza restaurants to a corporation formed by Dimeling, Schreiber & Dalglish, a Philadelphia investment firm.

Many takeovers also involve productive restructuring and streamlining that should be rewarded and encouraged.

Certainly, streamlining product lines, while a major cost-saver, isn't risk-free.

Now "the question is, `Who is going to get there first with a significant breakthrough?'" The new technology also holds out the hope of streamlining human tests of experimental compounds.

Montreal-based Canadian National, owned by the Canadian government, said the proposed sale is part of a streamlining of its rail operations.

Pillsbury Co. announced a streamlining that will result in $91 million in after-tax charges, but falls short of the major restructuring that Wall Street wanted.

President Mikhail S. Gorbachev has been streamlining and decentralizing the Soviet bureaucracy because he blames it for impeding his economic reforms.

The analysts said the streamlining was not particularly significant beyond improving customer service.

United Technologies' Pratt & Whitney unit is slashing another 1,042 salaried jobs in its streamlining effort.

But the principal focus of its streamlining efforts in Europe is the company's passenger-car operations.

Although he studied ways of streamlining the weapons-buying process when he served as Mr. Weinberger's deputy, it is unlikely that Mr. Carlucci can do much in a year's time to reshape the Defense Department's sprawling procurement bureaucracy.

Allied-Signal, which is continuing to sharpen its focus as a major supplier of aircraft systems to commercial and defense markets, said that its streamlining efforts over the past year have trimmed 2,000 jobs.

(Agreement on some kind of streamlining considered highly likely.) ISSUE: Cut tariffs on textiles in the United States and other developed countries.

The region still produces a lot of steel, autos, trucks and machinery, but rigorous streamlining has put many of those industries in far stronger condition.

We invite his attention to streamlining regulatory approvals within his own agency.

In the year ahead, GRI should see the results of its recent streamlining and promotional efforts, Mr. Rubin said in an interview.

The move included the streamlining of regional and divisional offices and trimming of management.

But the companies are adjusting and investing in the future through their work forces, and through modernization and streamlining of their production processes.

NEW YORK (AP) - Saks Fifth Avenue will lay off 700 workers as it undergoes a streamlining following its purchase by an investor group earlier this year, officials of the upscale fashion retailer said.

In addition to the 7,000 jobs it announced Wednesday it would eliminate as a result of streamlining, GTE said an equal number of positions would be lost as a result of factors unrelated to the streamlining program.

In addition to the 7,000 jobs it announced Wednesday it would eliminate as a result of streamlining, GTE said an equal number of positions would be lost as a result of factors unrelated to the streamlining program.

The Europe/Asia division is aimed at enabling businesses there to draw on Campbell's North American resources, streamlining the international management structure and extending core businesses to the global marketplace.

Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. reported fiscal second-quarter profit more than doubled, indicating the company's streamlining program has begun to reap some benefits.

The company had said last fall that it had expected to incur a significant fourth-quarter charge because of layoffs, plant consolidations and other streamlining measures in the wake of Burroughs's $4.8 billion acquisition of Sperry this year.

A sensible response to the message the public sent the politicians with Prop. 13 would have been a streamlining of California's 5,000 units of local government together with the transfer of earmarked revenue sources from the state to local entities.

It also contains some modest suggestions for streamlining existing trade law.

As part of the streamlining, TRW plans to eliminate 2,500 positions, 1,500 of those through attrition.